


Lord, We are all Cinders (from a Fire Burning Long Ago)

by supreme_genius



Series: Level Up [1]
Category: Grimm (TV)
Genre: 2014 Grimm Secret Krampus Exchange, F/M, Gift Fic, mentions of break up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-03
Updated: 2014-12-03
Packaged: 2018-02-28 01:08:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2713352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supreme_genius/pseuds/supreme_genius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt:<br/>Characters: Nick and Trubel (Friendship, optional romance).<br/>Desired Rating: None Given.<br/>Use the song “Level Up” by Vienna Teng. Trubel meets Mama Grimm. This meeting causes a few hiccups. Explore Trubel’s character.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lord, We are all Cinders (from a Fire Burning Long Ago)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [andyousaidtruelovedidntexsist](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=andyousaidtruelovedidntexsist).



> I don't own Grimm.  
> I make no monetary gain from this.  
> This is unbeta'd.
> 
> This is a gift fic written for andyousaidtruelovedidntexsist over on tumblr as part of the 2014 Grimm Secret Krampus Exchange. I hope you enjoy it!!

Her steps are slow, cautious, deliberate as she walks in the door and through the living room. Something is different; she can feel it down to the core of her being. Things have been tense ever since Nick got back his powers, since Juliette decided to go visit her folks indefinitely, leaving her relationship with Nick in limbo, but Trubel still feels like this house is home, still feels like Nick is family.

She stops outside the kitchen when she hears an unfamiliar voice. It’s a woman; she seems calm, but from what Trubel can make out, she sounds like she’s nagging Nick, or maybe lecturing him. Trubel furrows her brows, focused on hearing what’s being said.

“I can’t believe you lost your powers,” the woman says.

“But I got them back.”

“I just can’t believe you would be so careless.”

“It’s not like I went out and did it on purpose,” Nick’s voice is close to a whine; Trubel’s never heard him like this.

“Still. You need to be more careful.”

“Fine.”

“So who all knows?” The woman asks.

“That I lost them or that I got them back?”

“That you got them back.”

“My friends, Renard, the Resistance. Not sure who else.”

“You trust Renard?”

“Yeah,” Nick says as he turns his head, ears catching a hushed sound. “Can you just,” he lowers his voice, “promise me you won’t freak out if I tell you something?”

The woman sighs. “What is it?”

“Hey, Trubel, you can stop eavesdropping and come out.”

Trubel feels her cheeks heat up at being caught. Head down, she shuffles into the kitchen.

“Trubel, I’d like you to meet my mother Kelly.” Nick gestures towards his mom.

Trubel lifts her head, looking up at the woman, who is just a bit taller than she is. She looks back and forth between the woman and Nick. Nick must look like his dad. Briefly, there’s a mix of anger and sadness in her chest; Nick has so much, and Trubel has so little.

“Hi,” she finally says.

“Trubel? What kind of name is that?”

“Mom!” Nick steps closer to Trubel, as if protecting her. “Her name is Theresa, but we call her Trubel. She’s living here now.”

“So this is why Juliette really left, isn’t it?”

“What? No!” Nick takes another step and puts himself right between Trubel and his mother. “I met her through a case, and she needed a place to stay, so I took her in.”

“Oh, so she’s a delinquent?”

“Maybe I should just go,” Trubel suggests.

“No,” Nick starts, “please don’t.” He turns back to his mother. “She’s a grimm. She helped me a lot when I lost my powers.”

“Oh my god!” Kelly shakes her head and throws up her hands. “My son is an idiot. What are you thinking, Nicholas? You can’t have two grimms under the same roof! Why do you think I never stay long? It’s too dangerous! You know what’s better to a wesen or reaper than taking out a grimm? Taking out two!”

“We’re doing just fine, thank you very much! And she’s got nowhere else to go!”

“That’s not your problem! You need to start thinking about yourself before you get killed!”

Nick shakes his head. “Leave.”

“Excuse me?!”

“Leave! Because Trubel isn’t going anywhere. This is where she lives and will continue to do so as long as she wants. This is my house and I have final say about who get to be here. So if you don’t like it, you know where the door is.”

“Don’t call me to bail you out when you get yourself in over your head.” She sighs. “I expected so much more from you.” She walks passed Nick and Trubel and goes right out the door.

Nick is slow to turn around, not wanting to see the hurt look he knows is on Trubel’s face. He hasn’t known her that long, but lately he’s actually gotten to know her really well. When he turns, Trubel is staring down at her feet, hands shoved into her pockets. He reaches out and lays a hand on her shoulder. When Trubel doesn’t look up, Nick pulls her close for a hug. It’s weird at first, but then Trubel’s arms come up and wrap around Nick’s waist and she buries her face in the crook of his neck.

About a week ago, over dinner, Trubel finally started to divulge more personal information about herself -- things that aren’t in her file, which Nick has thoroughly read a few times. She finally talked about her parents -- something people have been pushing her to do since she lost them but to no avail -- and how much she misses them. “I can’t help but wonder which one was the grimm,” she had said, her lips bent into a frown. It was a place of common ground for her and Nick.

There was a part of Trubel that had hoped that if she ever got the chance to meet Nick’s mom, that it would go well and they would bond, and that she’d have a second shot at having a family. But now she knows that will never happen; Kelly hadn’t even given her a chance.

“I’m sorry,” Nick says quietly, Trubel’s hair tickling his lips as he speaks. “I didn’t think she’d act like that.”

Trubel sniffles and pulls away, wiping her damp eyes with the sleeve of her hoodie. They both pretend like she’s not crying.

“It’s not your fault,” she says. “You don’t have anything to apologize for.”

“Yes, I do. She accepted that I’m friends with a blutbad and fuchsbau. I thought she’d be happy that I know another grimm.” He shrugs.

“She’s just looking out for your best interest. That’s what moms do, right?” At least, that’s what people say. She’s pretty sure that’s what she remembers of her own mother. It’s certainly not what any of the foster moms did.

“Yeah, but she was gone a long time. She can’t just drop in every once in a blue moon and think she knows what’s best for me.” He sighs. “And right now, what’s best would be food. How about some dinner?”

She shrugs. “I’m not that hungry.”

Nick frowns, knowing that Trubel must be more upset than she’s letting on -- it’s not like her to not want food. “C’mon. We could go out and get double bacon cheeseburgers, all the French fries we can eat, and chocolate milkshakes.”

Trubel can’t help the corners of her mouth perking up. “Alright. You had me at bacon.”

“That’s my girl.” Nick grins, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder.

Trubel immediately smiles, her cheeks redding just a bit. And, just like that, the bad feelings start to fade away. She’s slowly starting to realize that she was just never meant to have a conventional life. From the moment she was born, she was different. Now that she has Nick in her life, it doesn’t seem that bad anymore. Meeting Nick was like a second chance, her 2.0, her rebirth, whatever. Everybody here has seams and scars, she thinks. This is all she needs; it’s where she really starts. This is the day.

 

 


End file.
